Stewie Griffin wrote:Now then, I’m going to do something I call the “compliment sandwich”, where I say something good, then talk about where you need improvement, and then end with something good.

Pens at Red Wings, a 7-6 overtime win

Something good: Not quitting. Down 4-2 after 2, Detroit added to their lead with an early 3rd period power play goal. It would have been easy to call it a night, but the Pens kept battling and got back to 5-4. The sixth Detroit goal could have been a dagger, but again, the Pens kept after Detroit. They not only salvaged a point that seemed pretty unlikely, they got two, finishing off one of the more memorable regular season comebacks in overtime.

Where they need improvement: Penalty trouble. Against a team like Detroit, you need to stay out of the box. The Pens gave Detroit 5 opportunities, and got burned on 3 of them. A 40% kill rate is not something you can expect to overcome most nights. Part of that is just Detroit has a good power play. Perhaps another is just how important Rob Scuderi (only took 3 shifts in the 2nd before shutting it down for the night) is to that unit.

Something good: Jordan Staal. The goals were great to see and bode well for him going forward. The play he made to body block a defender from grabbing a puck that had gone up into the air was great, and allowed Matt Cooke to gain possession and get it to the net for one of Staal's goal. However, the steal from Pavel Datsyuk to set up Ruslan Fedotenko was my play of the game. Datsyuk is normally on the other side of plays like that and to see the tables turned was a thing of beauty.

Good: This team finally showed up and played the third period of a game. About time.

Bad: They didn't play the other two periods. At least I hope not. The third period aside, that was one of the most atrocious performances I've ever seen. They got outgunned at every turn, gave up way too many turnovers, took stupid penalties, it was a train wreck.

Good: They did not give up. They saw where they were getting beat, turned it around, and played a solid 3rd. Great tactical coaching by Therrien, Babcock may have outcoached him in the Finals but Therrien beat him here. Zigomanis on the PP when they were done was brilliant, and having him on the ice won that game.

Good: Structural consistency. Even in the first two periods, when they were outplayed and outshot, they maintained their form. Nice puck support all over the ice, looking to use the center of the ice. Credit DET for being the same old DET: the most coordinated, blanketing force in all zones. When the Pens turned up the heat in the 3rd, they did it with more urgency, but the game play was the same.

Bad: Humble pie for MAF. Going into the game with like a .932 save pct., a 6-spot hurts, and not just the stats. Couple of DET's goals I'd bet he thought he should have stopped. Meh, the win plus his character will mitigate that.

Good: Two in-a-row in DET's barn. Not many teams can say that vs. DET. And the Pens have been the victors in both of these classic games.

Good: Never say die attitude. The passion in the third period and OT was also something to behold.

Improvement: Being consistent with offensive pressure. I'd love to see the Pens generate more offense from behind the enemy's net.

Good: Winning faceoffs. While the Pens only won 45% of their faceoffs, it is still considered a victory concerning their past troubles in draws. Winning nearly half of the faceoffs was also significant against a team like Detroit that loves to possess the puck. The huge faceoff wins in the third were also critical.